Method and apparatus for providing an integrated network of processors
First Claim
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1. A computing device comprising:
- a central processing unit (CPU) executing an operating system; and
a chipset including a network processing unit (NPU) that is in communication with the CPU and at least first and second auxiliary processing units,wherein the first and second auxiliary processing units can communicate application data directly to each other through the NPU using standard networking protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), without involvement from the CPU and without involvement from the operating system,wherein the NPU perceives the first and the second auxiliary processing units as separate network appliances that provide both local access and remote access in a distributed computing environment, andwherein the NPU is logically separate from the operating system and the CPU.
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Abstract
A novel network architecture that integrates the functions of an internet protocol (IP) router into a network processing unit (NPU) that resides in a host computer'"'"'s chipset such that the host computer'"'"'s resources are perceived as separate network appliances. The NPU appears logically separate from the host computer even though, in one embodiment, it is sharing the same chip.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computing device comprising:
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a central processing unit (CPU) executing an operating system; and a chipset including a network processing unit (NPU) that is in communication with the CPU and at least first and second auxiliary processing units, wherein the first and second auxiliary processing units can communicate application data directly to each other through the NPU using standard networking protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), without involvement from the CPU and without involvement from the operating system, wherein the NPU perceives the first and the second auxiliary processing units as separate network appliances that provide both local access and remote access in a distributed computing environment, and wherein the NPU is logically separate from the operating system and the CPU. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 24)
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11. A computing system comprising:
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a first computing device including a first central processing unit (CPU), a first network processing unit (NPU) that is in communication with the first CPU, and auxiliary processing units for the first computing device; and a second computing device including a second CPU, a second NPU that is in communication with the second CPU and the first NPU, and auxiliary processing units for the second computing device, wherein the one of the auxiliary processing units of the first and second computing devices can communicate application data directly to another one of the auxiliary processing units of the first and second computing devices through at least one of the first and second NPUs using standard networking protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), without involvement from either the first CPU or the second CPU, wherein the first and second NPUs perceive the auxiliary processing units for the first computing device and the auxiliary processing units for the second computing device as separate network appliances that provide both local access and remote access in a distributed computing environment, wherein the first NPU is logically separate from the first CPU, and wherein the second NPU is logically separate from the second CPU. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 25)
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16. In computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and a chipset including a network processing unit (NPU) that is in communication with the CPU and at least first and second auxiliary processing units, a method of transporting a data packet associated with a software application from the first auxiliary processing unit to the second auxiliary processing unit, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting the data packet from first auxiliary processing unit using standard networking protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), without involvement from the CPU; receiving the data packet at the NPU; routing the data packet to the second auxiliary processing unit; and receiving the data packet at the second auxiliary processing unit, wherein the CPU is bypassed in the transport path from the first auxiliary processing unit to the second auxiliary processing unit, wherein the NPU perceives the first and second auxiliary processing units as separate network appliances that provide both local access and remote access in a distributed computing environment, and wherein the NPU is logically separate from the CPU. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A distributed network of processing units for interacting with at least one host that comprises a central processing unit (CPU) executing a host operating system, the distributed network comprising:
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a network processing unit (NPU) implemented on a chipset; and at least one auxiliary processing unit, wherein the NPU and the at least one auxiliary processing unit bypass the host operating system and communicate application data directly to each other using standard networking protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), without involvement from the CPU and without involvement from the host operating system, wherein the NPU perceives the at least one auxiliary processing unit as a separate network appliance that provides both local access and remote access in a distributed computing environment, and wherein the NPU is logically separate from the host operating system and the CPU. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification